


Tulips and Hyacniths

by Luthwyn



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Florists, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 12:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13636479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthwyn/pseuds/Luthwyn
Summary: Phil was waiting to ask out a client that he had taken a liking to but the conversation turned out a little differently and now he has got himself into a right good situation.





	Tulips and Hyacniths

Phil fiddled with the collar of his red plaid shirt anxiously and made an attempt at smoothing down his trousers. The shop was currently empty as it usually was around this time, but Phil knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Three rows of shelves took up the majority of the small room. Each were filled with a variety of potted plants and carefully arranged bouquets with some larger specimens propped up against the far wall. The counter was positioned at the far end of the shop adjacent to the glass front which allowed for bright sunlight to filter in and decorate the green foliage with spots of orange as dawn broke. 

Phil picked up the watering can from its place under the counter and walked over to the hanging baskets that were suspended from a bar just above the window. They swayed gently as he carefully watered the soil and Phil was almost surprised that he hadn’t yet spilt anything. He placed the watering can back in its place and took to wandering around the shop and carefully re-adjusting all of the succulents and cacti, so they were at perfect aesthetic rotation. Once he could find no fault with them he went back behind the counter and rested his chin in his hands.

The clock on the bell tower opposite read quarter to nine and the town square was just beginning to fill up with people. Phil checked his own watch once more just to be sure and started lightly tapping on the desk, his eyes trained on the pedestrians strolling by. You see Phil had received an order for a bouquet off a rather handsome man about a week ago and whilst he had spent the entire conversation stuttering over his words he now intended to ask said man out. He usually wasn’t one for romance, finding company in his plants and the customers of his small florist but there was something about this man that just intrigued Phil. He came in occasionally, sometimes for flowers for his family or just something to brighten up his house, but they had never really spoken before.

Phil liked watching the people who visited his shop and learning their stories, it gave him something to do and something to think about when he was left alone. Most of the elderly customers were more than happy to strike up a conversation, offer enjoying in the attention since a lot of them lived alone. Phil could relate to them a little, he often spent the evenings wishing for someone to talk with but at least he could call his brother or parents if he was feeling particularly awful. His most persistent visitor was a little old lady by the name of Valerie or just Val for short. She rarely even bought anything but would always spend a good fifteen-minutes pretending to look whilst she told the poor florist all about her day.

Dan however had never actively sought out conversation, choosing instead to just awkwardly hand over the money for whatever he was buying without saying a word. Even when he was ordering something quite specific which required him to actually use his voice the chance of him saying more than what was completely necessary was rare. Phil didn’t take it to heart, suffering from social anxiety himself he knew the feeling. When he had first opened the shop the idea of having to serve people at a till terrified him but over the years he had gotten used to it, it wasn’t as if there were queues or anything. The fact that he could afford to run the shop on what profit he made was a miracle, but he wouldn’t change it for anything.

Dan had said he would be coming to pick up his order at nine which was in five minutes. Technically the shop didn’t usually open until half past, but Phil wasn’t going to say no to this man considering that he was quite frankly gorgeous, and Phil was more than eager to talk more with him. He had deep brown eyes that lit up when he smiled and dimples which quite frankly should be insured. His hair was styled into a similar fashion as Phil’s slightly emo black fringe, but it was a light shade of brown and curled to give a sort of wavy effect. He was tall and had shoulders that sloped downwards to and gave his frame a softer look. He always came in wearing a suit although in all honesty it didn’t look quite right on him, as if he wasn’t meant for a job that required such formal clothes.

Eventually the small bell above the door let out a quite ring and Dan stepped inside. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them to warm them whist Phil shivered slightly at the cold air he had let in. Unfortunately, the weather had been taking a turn for the worse lately and it was well below freezing. 

“Hey Dan,” Phil said cheerily, trying to hide how nervous he was.

“Hey Phil,” Dan replied looking quite miserable, “I just thought I’d come in and let you know I won’t be needing the bouquet anymore, I don’t want it to go to waste.”

“Aww how come?” Phil asked gently as Dan moved forward to lean on the counter. Phil was slightly shocked the other was actually willing to have a conversation with him but over did nothing to show it. He couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with himself however and it elevated his confidence just a little.

“My girlfriend left me.” Dan replied dead pan and all of Phil’s confidence crumbled, “And kicked me out of my flat.” Phil felt sorry for Dan he really did but he was also a little mad because his gaydar must really have been off. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Phil mumbled and turned to pick up his watering can. Nothing needed watering, but he had to find some way of not letting Dan see the disappointment on his face.

“Yeah it wasn’t working anyway, and she wasn’t the nicest but it’s still a blow.”

Phil nodded and threw Dan a sympathetic smile,

“Yeah I get you.”

That was sort of a lie, but only because he hadn’t had a boyfriend or girlfriend since he left high school. Even back then he hadn’t dated too much and now the florist took up far too much of his time to bother with looking for a relationship, he had liked Dan though. He shrugged to himself and a voice in his head gave a chipper 'oh well'. At least he was being optimistic.

Dan sighed and tugged at the sleeves of his blazer,

“Yeah and I got fired from work.” Phil raised his eyebrows and grimaced,

“Wow, sounds like you’ve not been having too much luck lately.” He replied, sighing at the others misfortune.

Dan tilted his head to the side as if considering something and turned to Phil,

“You wouldn’t happen to have any job openings, would you?”

The truth was no, and in all honesty Phil wasn’t really sure if he could afford to take on a member of staff. Then again it would allow him to take some time off if he had someone to cover him. Dan looked sort of desperate and Phil’s weakness had always been his heart. Maybe if he helped to pay rent, there was a spare room upstairs in his flat. The idea was stupid, but Phil liked this guy and his brain wasn’t entirely working so Phil stupidly, stupidly said yes.

Four months later and they were both lounging across the battered couch in the flat above the florists. Dan had been more than happy to move in and, as long as Dan paid rent, Phil had somehow managed to make enough money to keep on top of all of the outgoings of the shop as well as pay his new employee. Phil hadn’t had a proper friend in years, so it was nice to have someone to talk to, besides they both had so much in common. They listened to the same music and watched the same movies and anime. It was perfect, except it wasn’t. Phil’s small crush on the younger man had unfortunately not dissipated as he had hoped but instead persisted like an awful itch he couldn’t quite scratch. It had manifested and burrowed deep in his mind where it stuck. He wasn’t sure if he was in love, that seemed like a strong word, but it was something near. It hurt that those feelings weren’t reciprocated.

Dan shuffled slightly, his legs interlocking with Phil’s. The couch was too small for the both of them, but they didn’t really care. They had taken to spending the evenings sat together watching an anime and the lack of space was not going to hinder that. Phil wasn’t really concentrating on the pictures on the screen however as his mind was elsewhere. Surprisingly he wasn’t actually thinking about Dan but rather his future. He wasn’t one to dwell on dark and depressing thoughts as Dan did but he was a little worried. He had found out the other Dan that his brother and girlfriend had gotten engaged. He was thrilled for them of course but it reminded him that he was nowhere near something like that. He was approaching thirty and yes, he had his own house and a business, but he didn’t have a family. The closest thing he had was Dan and soon enough he would get himself a girlfriend and move out. Phil tried no to get too attached but sometimes he couldn’t help it.

“Should we order pizza?” Dan mumbled in a voice only Phil had learned to understand. Phil nodded and untangled his legs from Dan’s, reaching for the phone.

It was still winter so despite only being half six in the evening the sun had already mostly set, and frost was beginning to settle on the ground. Inside it was warm but Phil still missed the body heat Dan provided him with. Dan's eyes returned to the television and the older man sighed.

He shook his head of the thoughts that were plaguing his mind and called the number he had learned off by heart. He didn’t even know his parent’s numbers off by heart that probably said a lot about his life. Once he had placed the order he settled back onto the sofa but made sure he was no longer touching Dan. Dan gave him a confused look, but Phil pretended not to notice. Dan's look remained for a few seconds before he almost reluctantly turned his gaze elsewhere. Phil was feeling a little miserable and sorry for himself, something he had felt quite a lot since he found out he didn’t have a chance with the handsome customer he was going to ask out.

“Are you alright?” Dan asked, a hint of concern in his voice.” Phil nodded and plastered a smile onto his face. Dan frowned but said no more.

They sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before it was thankfully broken by the ringing of the doorbell. Phil jumped off the sofa and headed back down to the shop, so he could pay the delivery guy. He headed back up with the pizza and dumped it quite unceremoniously on the coffee table and grabbed a slice.

“I think I’m going to clean up the shop.” He announced before Dan could protest and headed back down.

He just needed to get away from Dan and he could do with sorting out a new batch of succulents that had been recently delivered. Streetlight filtered in through the large front window, giving the shop a yellowy orange glow. It always looked strange like that, but he liked it. They were going to replace all of the streetlights in the town with energy saving ones, but they let off a white light and Phil knew the shop would never look as nice in that sort of harsh, clinical light. He went about watering the plants and rearranging everything to make space for new stock, occasionally sacrificing a plant that was looking particularly old or wilted. He felt a little bad that he needed to throw some out, but he needed to make room for the new stock somehow. He became quite engrossed in examining his specimens for disease or signs of ill health, so much so that he didn’t realise Dan had come down to join him and was perched on top of the counter.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s put you in such a bad mood today or not?” he said loudly, causing Phil to jump and almost drop the large bromeliad he had been looking at.

“Don’t do that.” The florist exclaimed, gently placing the plant back on the shelf.

“Seriously though, what’s happened?”

Phil shrugged and gestured Dan to move over, so he could join him on the counter. Dan smiled and slung his arm around the other’s shoulders. One thing that Phil had noticed about Dan was that he had been getting happier, clearly his old job and girlfriend had been a large part of why he seemed sad so much. He’d also ditched the suit which he seemed to be pleased about. He still had periods where he wouldn’t talk to anyone and he would look down, but they cleared up with a bit of encouragement and an anime or two. Phil was glad of that, even if it meant he couldn’t be truly happy himself. He had no doubt however that someone else would come along who was just as special as Dan and that he would fall for them and he will look back seeing Dan as nothing more than a good friend and co-worker but for now it didn’t quite seem like enough. Phil sighed,

“I think I should start dating again Dan.” He replied, feeling a little silly, “My brother’s going to get married and I’m getting to the age where I should be thinking about a serious relationship. Otherwise I’m just going to be running this florist until I’m old and then I’m going to die alone.” He said miserably. Dan’s eyes widened, and he stumbled over his words for a second,

“Wow that’s very depressing for you,” Dan said squeezing his shoulders comfortingly, “I think you would be able to date anyone you wanted if you tried and you don’t have to worry about getting married or whatever if you don’t want to.”

“I couldn’t get whoever I wanted, I’m not like you.” Phil replied burying his head into Dan’s shoulder. It then suddenly occurred to him what he had just said but he didn’t care too much. Luckily Dan didn’t seem to notice and only giggled before grabbing Phil by the shoulders and looking him in the eyes,

“Don’t ever put yourself down Phil,” he said firmly, “You are special and I’m sure you’ll mean the world to anyone who you choose to spend your life with.”

Phil nodded and got to his feet, walking over to a lily he still needed to tend to. He could feel Dan looking at him but had no desire to show how much he cared. He was being a little whiney he could see that, but it wasn’t often that he felt sorry for himself, so he was allowed to be mopey.

“What about you Dan, are you going to start dating again.”

Dan shook his head with such speed that Phil was almost certain he was going to give himself a headache,

“No thank you, I am so glad you offered me a place and a job otherwise I wouldn’t have been left to grovel at that old cow’s feet,”

The ‘old cow’ did indeed refer to his ex, the one whose bouquet Dan had gone to pick up the day they had their first proper conversation. He had been heartbroken at first and losing his job (apparently, she had worked there and turned his boss against him) was just the icing on the cake. After about a month Dan had decided she was over her and realised just what a mean, manipulative bitch she had been. Their relationship wasn’t healthy and even if she hadn’t dumped Dan (and let’s face it what sane person would dump Dan) it would have only gotten worse. He came not to resent her as he once had but to see that he was too good for her and question why they had even dated in the first place. Now Dan didn’t refer to her by name, or very much at all and that was how he liked it.

“I'm enjoying being free, I’m thinking or pursuing my dream career actually.”

Phil nodded in approval and smiled at his best friend’s ambition and confidence in himself. He was so glad that Dan had come out of his shell,

“What would that be Dan?” he asked with interest. Suddenly Dan looked a bit embarrassed and looked down at his hands,

“Um, I want to be an actor?” He replied almost as though it were a question.

“I think you would make an amazing actor, you should totally go for it,” Phil exclaimed enthusiastically, “the local theatre is holding auditions for its new show in a fortnight, you should go!”

Dan tilted his head and looked over at him questioningly,

“You haven’t left this shop in about a month, how could you possibly know about that?”

“Val brought it up in our routine chat on Thursday,” He replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You know how she likes to know everyone else’s business. Did you already know?”

Dan nodded sheepishly,

“Yeah, I was looking for another job to start saving up for my own flat and I came across it. Do you really think I should try?”

The idea of Dan leaving was a bit of a stab in the chest for Phil considering they were best friends and he hadn’t even mentioned it. Then again Phil was also Dan’s landlord, and his employer. Perhaps it would be a good idea for him to get another house and change job. It would be a little awkward now if by some miracle they did start dating. Although this new information was a little hard to hear it didn’t stop Phil from buoyantly agreeing.

Phil was still feeling a bit off, so he decided to head off to bed early. Perhaps tomorrow he and Dan could go to the local bar (a rare occurrence for both of them) and Phil would have a chance at meeting some new people. He could do with a few more friends, even if he already had Dan. He changed into his pyjamas and took out his contact lenses, ready to get some sleep.  It was only about ten, he’d been down in the shop for far longer than he first realised, but it would do him good to get some extra sleep. He lay staring at the ceiling for a moment, studying the cracks in the off-white paint. He really needed to do some decorating, he was thinking blue and green maybe. Cheerful colours but not too bright. He turned to face the wall and pulled the duvet up to his chin. It didn’t take too long to fall asleep after that.

He must have slept for far longer than he originally thought since it was already daylight when he woke up. He leapt out of bed with all of the grace of a drunk kangaroo with its legs tied together and hastily pulled on some clothes. He didn’t bother grabbing anything to eat, stopping on his way down stairs only to smoothen down his bed head as best he could. He was surprised to see the shop open and realised Dan was stood behind the counter which was odd. Usually Phil opened up in the morning and then Dan came down to cover him while he had lunch and worked the afternoon.

“Dan?” he asked slightly groggily.

“Oh, hey Phil, I didn’t think you were feeling so well so I opened up for you, so you could rest. You can go back to bed if you want.” He replied with a smile. As tempting as that offer was Phil had things to do and sleeping I’m any later would only do further damage to his sleep schedule.

“No, I’m alright,” he said yawning and trudged into the store room to see if anything needed doing. He noticed a pile of paperwork on the desk and groaned. No one tells you how much paperwork is required to run a business before you decide to set one up. Since Dan was taking care of the shop floor he could get some of this done, he grabbed a pen and sat down.

By the time the pile had depleted Phil wished for nothing more than an eternity in bed. He back hurt from being hunched over the desk and his eyes were seeing spots from staring too long. He headed back out onto the shop floor, attempting to wake his feet from their slumber. Dan smiled at him and Phil headed over,

“You can do the paperwork next month.” He grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Dan giggled and ruffled his hair,

“Don’t be so dramatic.” The younger man sighed, “It’s not too bad.”

Phil rolled his eyes but smiled fondly, it was only about three o’clock, but the shop was empty and he didn’t particularly fancy standing at a till all afternoon. Besides they had just got a large order for a wedding, so they weren’t losing money.

“Hey Dan, do you want to lock up? Maybe we could go out somewhere.”

Dan nodded and threw a set of keys at Phil from behind the counter. Phil attempted to catch them but unfortunately his attempt wasn’t exactly successful. He glared at Dan who was laughing away to himself and bent down to pick them up. By the time they had finished cleaning and counting up the money from the till it was nearly four. Phil decided that perhaps they should go to the bar since neither had really been out since Dan moved in and he needed a date. Then again, he probably shouldn’t take Dan seeing as he hadn’t actually told him about being, well not entirely straight. Maybe that would upset Dan. He thought about it for a second and shrugged, Dan was his friend and would accept him for who he was if they were as close as Phil thought.

Dan was up in his room getting ready and Phil was stood in front of his wardrobe pondering what to wear. He had a few nice clothes, but his dress sense was pretty much shirts and black jeans with the occasional wacky t-shirt. He picked out his black jeans because they were pretty much the only trousers he had and a black jumper. His contact lenses were irritating his eyes, so he took the out and slid his classes on. He stopped to check his hair in the mirror and walked back into the lounge. He also went to pick up a bunch of CDs that had been left on the floor after one of his and Dan’s gaming sessions and realised that the jeans he had put on were perhaps a bit tight. He was considering changing but Dan emerged from his room ready and they might as well just go.

Dan was wearing a pair of black jeans similar to Phil’s and a black and grey jacket that suited him perfectly. Phil cursed himself for thinking about how much he would like to kiss him and quickly plastered a strained smile onto his face,

“Should we head off?” He asked, hyper aware of how his voice seemed to have raised an octave. Dan nodded and smiled.

The bar wasn’t too busy but there were a few people milling around. The two men settled into a table in the corner of the room, social interaction not necessarily being their strength. Seeing as Phil very rarely went out and he wasn’t one to drink at home he was a bit of a lightweight and although he had only had two beers he was feeling a tad tipsy. Dan looked a little better off but he too was beginning to loosen up. Had started chatting to a blond girl. Everything was going well until suddenly Dan froze, and his gaze locked on to a woman sat by the door. He quickly ducked behind Phil as best he could and buried his head into the others shoulder. Phil gave Dan confused look (not that he could see it of course),

“Umm Dan, what’s up?” Phil asked with a nervous laugh.

“My ex is here.” He replied in a muffled, slightly destressed voice.

Phil grimaced and looked over at the woman who was sat by the door. She was surrounded by a group of giggling friends and unfortunately it would be near impossible to leave the bar without coming into contact with her.

 “Do you think we could wait her out?”

Unfortunately, attempting to wait her out was proving to be a bit of a bad idea. The woman seemed to be determined to remain in the bar as long as she possibly could, and she wasn’t even getting drunk so neither of the two boys could sneak past her. The longer they stayed the corner the worse it got and by the time it was about two in the morning Phil was ready to fall asleep. Dan had probably had a bit too much to drink and was nervously shifting every time his ex turned her gaze in their general direction. It had been crowded earlier, crowded enough to hide them at least but now the cover had depleted somewhat. Dan rested his head on Phil's shoulder and sighed loudly,

“You’re going to fall asleep in a minute and I’ve had too much to drink.” He said in a slightly slurred monotone voice,

“Wanna go home.”

Phil yawned and nodded, sending the brunette woman a glare that he hoped looked angry rather that upset.

“What do you suppose we do then?”

Dan straightened up in his chair and held himself up tall 9which wasn’t really that hard),

“I'm gonna face her Phillly, come on!” Dan exclaimed and quickly got to his fee.

Phil went to point out that this was probably the copious amounts of alcohol talking and not a sensible and rational Dan, but god damn it he wanted to go home. Besides Phil doubted Dan would even remember this tomorrow morning. Neither of them had drunk in a while so this was going to be a shock to the system. Dan marched towards the door, surprisingly nimble on his feet for someone who had just done four shots and downed about six pints of beer. Suddenly his Jess (the ex) turned around and Dan immediately squealed and turned to hide behind Phil. The woman sneered,

“Oh, hi Danny, what would you be doing here? You haven’t come to grovel at my feet again, have you?” She said with a cruel laugh and Phil couldn’t understand why she was being so nasty. Maybe she had problems of her own, still that didn’t really excuse the foul things that were coming out of her mouth,

“I'm guessing you still haven’t got yourself another girlfriend, I knew you wouldn’t be able to get over me.”

Suddenly Dan snorted walked over to her. She cowered away slightly, he was of course much taller than her,

“No Jess I haven’t got myself a girlfriend, I’ve got myself a boyfriend.”

He pointed at Phil who looked slightly dumbfounded. Dan looked at him for a second before rolling his eyes and gesturing him to come closer. Phil moved forward uneasily, and Dan wrapped his arm around the raven-haired man’s waist.

“Yep, this is Phil, and I can tell you he treats me a damn site better than you did.”

 Jess looked a bit shocked, as did most of her friends. Suddenly Dan pulled Phil in for a kiss and while he may have been wanting this for some time it was a bit of a shock. Phil had to stop himself from pulling away and his mouth remained completely shut. Dan pulled away looking slightly disappointed but sent a smug glare at jess before storming out, dragging Phil with him by the hand. As soon as they turned into the town square Phil pulled his hand out of Dan's.

“What was that about,” his hissed,

Dan laughed and moved to hug the older man, but Phil pulled away before he could. The younger man looked confused and slightly hurt,

“I thought it was a good idea, you could have played along a bit more though. I always thought you would have enjoyed a kiss.” He said with a wink, but Phil was pissed.

“You can’t just kiss someone to make a point Dan. Everyone was looking at us. I had customers who were there, people I see every day. Now they will all think we’re together thanks to you. What if someone tells my parents? I didn’t want to be kissed. You made me feel quite uncomfortable actually. You need to ask before you pull stunts like that again.”

He stormed ahead leaving Dan running to catch up to him.

“I'm sorry Phil. I just wanted to prove her wrong. You aren’t worried about everyone thinking you are gay, are you?”

Phil sighed and shook his head,

“No Dan I don’t care, the only reason I wanted to go out in the first place was because I was looking to, well take someone home.” He flushed red and looked down at his feet.

“But I would have actually asked for consent before I snogged them.”

Dan rolled his eyes,

“Oh come on, we’re best friends aren’t me. It didn’t mean anything.”

Phil stood still for a moment, fuming. Not only had the first kiss he had shared with the man he was possibly in love with to prove said mans horrible ex a point, but it didn’t even mean anything? Dan's expression changed as he realised he had said something wrong and he went to open his mouth. They had already reached the shop however, so Phil simply opened the door and stormed upstairs. Maybe he was overreacting but damn it, he was tired, he was drunk and his plan to get over his feelings for Dan had gone completely down the drain.

He headed straight for the bed and faceplanted. He didn’t even bother to take off his clothes and instead just lay on the bedsheet groaning. Apparently he couldn’t interact with anybody, at least not without making a mess out of it. Any sort of socialising always seemed to end in disaster. This is why he never leaves the shop. He reached over to his phone and saw that his brother had texted him. He swiped away the notification without reading it and immediately felt guilty. Oh well, he would answer it in the morning. Eventually his mind became sluggish and he pulled the covers over himself. Within a few minutes he was drifting off to sleep and he hoped this foul mood wouldn’t drift over into tomorrow.

The next morning Phil emerged from his room slightly hung over and a bit grumpy. He quickly threw on a shirt and some jeans and headed down to the shop. He grabbed a watering can and started making his rounds on the plants. His movements were tired and a bit zombie like but unfortunately that’s what happens in you go out drinking with a low alcohol tolerance. It took a while to notice Dan had come down to see him, but Phil made no reaction when he did. Dan sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly,

“Phil I’m sorry about last night, I was drunk and a bit miserable and I know it was wrong, but please don’t do this. Mm are best friends remember? Let’s just put this behind us, yeah?”

Phil considered in before a moment before signing and nodding. He didn’t want to be in an argument with Dan. They didn’t argue, and he knew that if he continued to mope he would regret it once his annoyance at Dan’s actions receded,

“Alright Dan, I agree. Let’s just forget about it.”

Dan grinned happily and walked over to Phil, throwing his arms around him. Phil let out a surprised 'umph' but returned the hug any way, burying his head in Dan’s neck. He was still feeling drowsy and Dan seemed like such a warm and soft person to cuddle into. If Dan had any objections, he didn’t voice them. Phil cursed himself for being so fickle but when it came to Dan he couldn’t stay mad for long.

“Can we just not open today, I think last night was stressful enough to warrant a day off.”

Phil bit his lip and looked over at the counter. They had closed early yesterday, and he wasn’t really a big fan of closing often. He had some orders to sort out and would like to at least have something to distract the thoughts that always seemed to be swimming in his head. Dan saw his unease and looked a little disappointed,

“We don’t have to open the shop,” Phil finally replied, “but I do have some orders to sort out. You can have the day off or whatever.”

Dan's face fell but he only let out a pained smile and dejectedly went back up the stairs to the apartment. Phil watched him go feeling a little miserable and mean. He could always fire Dan and get him out of the way. It would make life a lot simpler and he could easily go back to his life of lonely solidarity, unfortunately he didn’t really think he could live with that on his continence for the next seventy or so years of his life.

He walked slowly into the back store room and shut the door behind him. His head just felt too full at the moment and he just needed to forget about Dan for a bit. There was a row of buckets lining the far wall, all filled with a variety of white and lilac flowers. Phil quickly began to pick out the flowers one by one and arrange them into a series of glamorous bouquets. Eventually the buckets were filled with beautiful arrangements, all ready to be picked up tomorrow by a happy (or at least he hoped she would be happy) bride.

He stepped back to admire his work when he felt something soft flatten against his foot. A single daffodil lay squashed against the floor. He bent down and picked it up, straightening the petals up best he could. It must have come in with the wedding shipment, which was odd considering it was the wrong season for daffodils. He had always considered the daffodil quite a jolly flower, representing joy and new life. He examined the plant carefully and placed it in a jar of water on his desk. Dirty and broken, it didn’t seem so jolly now.

Phil wasn’t usually one to name flowers that had already been cut, they wilted too fast. The moment they were plucked from the earth they were slowly being killed, water only prolonged the process. He did however name the little daffodil ‘Daff’ because, while not being a particularly creative name, it suited it. Phil could hear heavy footsteps from the floor above and he knew Dan was pacing. The little flower seemed to be looking at Phil as if accusingly. Daffodils symbolise rebirth, eternal life and chivalry but they can also represent unrequited love. One daffodil on its own often foretells misfortune, perhaps keeping Daff was not really a good idea. He couldn’t bring himself to throw it out however because at this moment it was the best company he had.

As Dan's steps seemed to increase in volume, Phil got increasingly more agitated. Eventually Phil rose from his seat and headed over to some more sets of vases that held practically every flower a florist would ever need. They had been arranged into rainbow order, curt icy of Dan, so it wasn’t to hard to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a purple Hyacinth and a lilac tulip, examining them in the harsh white light of the store room. A purple Hyacinth symbolises apologies and forgiveness, while a lilac tulip shows the admission of love. Dan wouldn’t know this of course but he could give them to the younger boy anyway. Phil carefully tied the two flowers together with a pretty black bow ad headed up the stairs.

Phil gently knocked on Dan's door, to which the other mans footsteps ceased and the door creaked open,

“Hey Phil, you alright?” he asked, looking a little confused. Phil looked down towards his feet and shifted uncomfortably.

“I just wanted to apologize for being a dick yesterday and being grumpy today. I wanted to give you this in apology.” He held out the two flowers rather awkwardly. Dan smiled and took them, fiddling with the tulips petal for a moment,

“Thank you Phil, apology accepted. Although, I already thought we hug and made up this morning?”

Phil flushed red,

“Well, yeah, we did, sort of.” He stuttered, “It’s just that I still felt a bit guilty and I could have been upstairs spending time with you.”

Dan smiled and clutched onto his flowers,

“I’m just going to go and put these in some water and then you can spend all the time with me that you want.” He said happily, his grin only faltering when he realised what he had just said and how suggestive it had come out,

“I meant playing video games.” he stammered, blushing even more than Phil who was a lovely shade of tomato. They stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before Phil moved aside to let Dan past.

Three hours later and they were lying once again on the couch. After playing several rounds of Mario Kart and Phil getting thrashed at halo they had called it a night on games and instead were mindlessly watching an old anime they had finished moths ago. Neither of them was really watching though, Dan was staring at his phone and Phil was staring at Dan. Well he wouldn’t say staring, more like looking, for a very long time. He tore his eyes away from Dan after Dan's gaze flicked up from whatever he was intently reading to the screen.

After a while a comfortable silence had settled in and Phil had closed his eyes. His legs were entangled with Dan’s, the other man giving off just the right amount of heat to make him drowsy.

“Phil?” Dan asked, quieter than usual.

“Yeah?” Phil replied, feeling a bit groggy.

“Do you know the meanings of flowers?”

Phil nodded and opened one eye to look at him,

“Yeah, I used to really love history as a kid. The Victorians could send messages in flowers. I thought it was fascinating.” He said, laughing quietly to himself.

Dan nodded, and his lips stretched into a line. Phil in his sleep deprived state took a moment to wonder why Dan was asking such questions until his eyes widened. The Tulip and the Hyacinth were in a little glass cup on the coffee table and Dan much have caught him looking at them because he sat up straight.

“The hyacinth I get, you wanted to apologise right? I’m just a little confused as to why you would give me a tulip.” He asked picking up the tiny bouquet and pulling it into his chest.

Phil looked over to Dan and their eyes met.

“You were reading up on it on the internet, you tell me.” He responded in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Dan stiffened, and Phil deflated. Daff was wright, misfortune and solidarity were all he was going to get. He went to unwind their legs and stand up looking quite apparently miserable. Suddenly there was a hand on his arm and he stayed where he was.

“So, you like me?” Dan said, his voice squeaky, “Like ‘like’ like me?”

Phil nodded, and an enormous grin stretched across Dan’s face, his adorable dimple showing in all its glory. He reached to his little bouquet and thrust the tulip back in Phil’s direction. Phil looked at it for a moment,

“Is this you rejecting me or . . .”

Dan rolled his eyes and laughed,

“No silly, this is me showing my confession of love to you.”

Phil sat back, feeling a bit overwhelmed until Dan reached forward and pulled him in for a kiss. This was different from yesterday. For starters Phil was actually kissing back and it wasn’t just the two of them smushing their faces together and also it was private. Phil’s hands were roaming Dan’s back and he was smiling into the kiss. They broke apart breathing heavily and both men were grinning so hard it was a wonder their heads hadn’t split in two.

“I’ve been crushing on you for months, how on earth didn’t you notice.” Dan said, rolling his eyes.

Phil scoffed,

“Says you. I’ve been trying to ask you out ever since you walked into my shop.”

Dan blushed and pilled Phil into a hug,

“I had my suspicions.”

Phil went imp in Dan's arms and sighed. As much as he was enjoying this he really was tired. Dan noticed and dragged Phil up off the sofa.

“We should head to bed.” He said kindly.

Phil nodded,

“My room or yours?”

**Author's Note:**

> just a little something i've been working on, thanks for reading


End file.
